Everything Is Alright
The Bet
“Are you coming out with us tonight?” I asked Nicole.
“I don’t know. Where are you going?”
“C.C. Club?”
“Oh.”
“Tony’ll be there.”
“Well…I’ll think about it.” I figured she would go. I could tell she was getting attached to him. I could probably tell her Tony was going bungee jumping and she’d come.
The guys were meeting us there. They had already had a few drinks by the time we arrived. Even Jesse and Matt were looking a little washed out. Nicole immediately went to Tony and started up a conversation. I sat next to Justin. He handed me a drink. Matt went to go dance with his girlfriend and Nicole and Tony walked off somewhere. It was me, Justin, Jesse, and Josh. We sat drinking and talking for awhile.
“So you guys are dating, now?” Josh asked. I nodded and Justin put an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer.
“I guess I lose,” Jesse said, a bit drunker than the rest of us.
“What?” I asked, confused.
“I bet Justin twenty dollars you’d say no if he asked you out,” he blurted out.
“Bet?” I demanded. I turned to Justin. “I was a bet?” I asked heatedly. He took his arm back from my shoulders. Josh looked from me to Justin and then dragged Jesse off, sensing the danger in my voice. Justin was staring at the table.
“No.” I glared at him. He blinked and looked at me. “Well…it wasn’t even real.”
“So you’re saying this isn’t real?” I asked, standing up. He stood up, too.
“No, I mean…” He looked at me hopelessly. “I don’t even know what I mean.”
“Twenty dollars?” I asked angrily, shaking my head. “What the fuck, Justin?”
“It’s not like that, Betty.”
“Don’t even call me that right now.” I turned to walk away.
“Betty,” he said, grabbing my arm. I don’t know what came over me. I wheeled around and slapped him on the cheek. He let go of my arm. He looked stunned that I had hit him. It hadn’t been hard. I was surprised at myself, too. He let me wander away. I bit my lip. I felt the tears coming. I sat at the bar and ordered another drink.
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Justin’s POV
I waited a few minutes to collect myself. I paced. She had slapped me. Stupid Jesse. That bet hadn’t even been real. It was his reverse psychology crap. I saw her at the bar.
I hesitantly walked over to sit next to her. Her eyes were a little red.
“Go away, Justin,” she said. She looked hurt. “You're a fucking asshole.” She was right. But I didn’t leave. “What do you want?”
“I want to talk to you.”
“What about what I want?”
“What do you want?” I asked, playing along.
“I don’t want to talk to you. I want to sit here and drink my feelings away. And you shouldn’t care.”
“Then you shouldn’t care if I sit here and do the same,” I challenged, ordering yet another drink. She ignored me. “Betty…”
“Stop it,” she said, still not facing me. “Why do you even call me that?” I glanced at her.
“You just look like a Betty,” I said, giving her the same answer I always did when she asked that.
“I don’t like it,” she said, staring into her drink.
“You can call me something,” I offered. I ordered another drink.
“What about fuck-face?”
“If you want,” I said, trying not to smile. She didn’t answer. “Be-Liz?” I thought as she just stared ahead. “If you stop talking to me, then I might have to buy another drink.” She still didn’t answer. “Nobody likes a drunk Justin,” I pointed out.
“What?” she finally demanded, casting me annoyed glances. “What do you want?”
“I want to explain.”
“Explain, then.”
“First of all, Jesse’s drunk and doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” I stared down at my glass. “The guys said I was too chicken to ask you out, and they were right. It wasn’t even a bet. And now I’m drunk and you're drunk.” I paused for a second. “You just like to liquor up my thoughts, don’t you?” She didn’t answer.
“Is that it?”
“What?”
“Is. That. It?” she repeated slowly.
“I don’t know what else you want me to say,” I said, defeated.
“Then it’s not worth saying, apparently,” she said. She stopped for a minute. “We’re over, Justin. I still want to be friends, but I don’t think I can date you anymore.” I looked down at my drink.
“Okay.” I had screwed myself over, as usual.
What else was new?
“I don’t know. Where are you going?”
“C.C. Club?”
“Oh.”
“Tony’ll be there.”
“Well…I’ll think about it.” I figured she would go. I could tell she was getting attached to him. I could probably tell her Tony was going bungee jumping and she’d come.
The guys were meeting us there. They had already had a few drinks by the time we arrived. Even Jesse and Matt were looking a little washed out. Nicole immediately went to Tony and started up a conversation. I sat next to Justin. He handed me a drink. Matt went to go dance with his girlfriend and Nicole and Tony walked off somewhere. It was me, Justin, Jesse, and Josh. We sat drinking and talking for awhile.
“So you guys are dating, now?” Josh asked. I nodded and Justin put an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer.
“I guess I lose,” Jesse said, a bit drunker than the rest of us.
“What?” I asked, confused.
“I bet Justin twenty dollars you’d say no if he asked you out,” he blurted out.
“Bet?” I demanded. I turned to Justin. “I was a bet?” I asked heatedly. He took his arm back from my shoulders. Josh looked from me to Justin and then dragged Jesse off, sensing the danger in my voice. Justin was staring at the table.
“No.” I glared at him. He blinked and looked at me. “Well…it wasn’t even real.”
“So you’re saying this isn’t real?” I asked, standing up. He stood up, too.
“No, I mean…” He looked at me hopelessly. “I don’t even know what I mean.”
“Twenty dollars?” I asked angrily, shaking my head. “What the fuck, Justin?”
“It’s not like that, Betty.”
“Don’t even call me that right now.” I turned to walk away.
“Betty,” he said, grabbing my arm. I don’t know what came over me. I wheeled around and slapped him on the cheek. He let go of my arm. He looked stunned that I had hit him. It hadn’t been hard. I was surprised at myself, too. He let me wander away. I bit my lip. I felt the tears coming. I sat at the bar and ordered another drink.
*********************************************************************************
Justin’s POV
I waited a few minutes to collect myself. I paced. She had slapped me. Stupid Jesse. That bet hadn’t even been real. It was his reverse psychology crap. I saw her at the bar.
I hesitantly walked over to sit next to her. Her eyes were a little red.
“Go away, Justin,” she said. She looked hurt. “You're a fucking asshole.” She was right. But I didn’t leave. “What do you want?”
“I want to talk to you.”
“What about what I want?”
“What do you want?” I asked, playing along.
“I don’t want to talk to you. I want to sit here and drink my feelings away. And you shouldn’t care.”
“Then you shouldn’t care if I sit here and do the same,” I challenged, ordering yet another drink. She ignored me. “Betty…”
“Stop it,” she said, still not facing me. “Why do you even call me that?” I glanced at her.
“You just look like a Betty,” I said, giving her the same answer I always did when she asked that.
“I don’t like it,” she said, staring into her drink.
“You can call me something,” I offered. I ordered another drink.
“What about fuck-face?”
“If you want,” I said, trying not to smile. She didn’t answer. “Be-Liz?” I thought as she just stared ahead. “If you stop talking to me, then I might have to buy another drink.” She still didn’t answer. “Nobody likes a drunk Justin,” I pointed out.
“What?” she finally demanded, casting me annoyed glances. “What do you want?”
“I want to explain.”
“Explain, then.”
“First of all, Jesse’s drunk and doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” I stared down at my glass. “The guys said I was too chicken to ask you out, and they were right. It wasn’t even a bet. And now I’m drunk and you're drunk.” I paused for a second. “You just like to liquor up my thoughts, don’t you?” She didn’t answer.
“Is that it?”
“What?”
“Is. That. It?” she repeated slowly.
“I don’t know what else you want me to say,” I said, defeated.
“Then it’s not worth saying, apparently,” she said. She stopped for a minute. “We’re over, Justin. I still want to be friends, but I don’t think I can date you anymore.” I looked down at my drink.
“Okay.” I had screwed myself over, as usual.
What else was new?